Michael Kaiser Helps Arts Cope with Crisis

Yesterday I had the opportunity to be in a couple of sessions with Michael Kaiser, head of the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, who is barnstorming the nation with the Center’s Arts In Crisis initiative. He’s an excellent speaker with a fine wit and sense of humor. His insights have the kind of practicality and clarity that come with a lifetime of hands-on experience and deep reflection. In a post a few weeks ago, I mentioned the main themes he advances, that in these tough economic times, simply cutting arts programming and cutting marketing are no solutions. Doing so leaves arts groups with no product to sell nor any means of selling it.

The strategy he’s used to turn around a number of major failing arts groups was to create exciting arts programming and to plan far enough in advance – two to three years – to build enthusiasm among funders and patrons. As he pointed out, the mission of arts organizations isn’t to balance the budget, it’s to provide great art and great education. Although everyone working on the board or staff of an arts organization knows this, we needed this clarion reminder of our real purpose.

Kaiser offered some other trenchant insights that should be of interest to the region as a whole. We here in the great Northwest feel very proud of our cultural life. Kaiser points out that our cultural life is actually a lot better than the way it’s perceived nationally. We’re not taking nearly enough advantage of our cultural life in the way this region pitches itself to the country. In the competition for the best businesses and best talent on the international stage, a region’s cultural life is a real advantage. If Kaiser’s assessment is right – and I think it is – we’re missing the boat in not promoting the region’s cultural life more effectively.

In one of the sessions with Kaiser, someone asked whether this crisis will cause a severe thinning out. Nothing as dire, he said, as some estimates of losing one in ten arts groups. His biggest concern is that we will lose groups that do great exciting art, but that don’t have their marketing and business operations up to snuff. That’s where his Arts in Crisis initiative comes in offering mentorship and training to arts professionals all over the country. He’s tapping expertise of his senior staff and of carefully vetted senior staff from arts groups all over the country to provide this help.

My organization, ArtsFund, has services on this same track through our board leadership training program and consultation with arts groups. But Kaiser’s assessment points out how much more needs to be done.

One of the greatest assets in the country for anyone who cares about the arts is right here in the Puget Sound region in the person of Congressman Norm Dicks. Representative Dicks introduced Kaiser and helped field questions from a crowd of more than 500 at Benaroya Hall yesterday. As chair of the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, Dicks is the staunchest and most effective proponent of support for the NEA.

In addition to important nuts and bolts advice for those working for arts groups, Kaiser’s tour provides just the injection of smart practical wisdom we need in these tough times. Our challenge is to capitalize on the inspiration and lessons he provided.